Monday, March 28, 2011

WINE

Yesterday, I went to the Taste Washington Food & Wine Festival with The Scientist, my mum, and my brother and SIL. There were 200 wineries and around 60 local restaurants. Even though I live very close to tons of wineries, most of the wineries at this event were completely unfamiliar to me. The number of wineries in Washington has exploded in the last few years!

A view of the festival

My mum was able to purchase VIP tickets through the Army, so we got to go in early before the big crowds arrived. The Scientist had gone through the program to figure out where some of his favorite wineries were located, so went to a few of those places first. After that, we didn't really have a plan so we just wandered. It was actually a little overwhelming to be there! Once we'd had a few tastes, and a pretty decent buzz going, we pretty much lost track of all the places we visited.

Around 4:30, I met up with E and Sarah. I met Sarah back in December, but this was my first time meeting E. We only spent a little bit of time together since I was there with my family, too, but it was so much fun hanging out with those ladies! They also got to meet The Scientist. I referred to him by his real name (which is Andy, by the way) and they were so confused. It was hilarious.We've been talking about doing a wine tasting day at some of the local wineries later this spring. That definitely needs to happen!

I also happened to run in to another Seattle blogger, Jeanna. We'd never met IRL, either, so it was fun to make that connection.

From what I do remember of the wineries we visited, here are some of my favorites:

WINETrust - They had a Cab Franc that was to die for.Patterson Cellars - Delicious wines, and they have two tasting rooms in the Seattle area. I'll definitely be visiting them soon.Steppe - Fabulous SyrahMaryhill Winery - We've bought their Zin before and love it (Zinfandel doesn't do well in Washington and this is one of the few that grows it), and they had a Malbec yesterday that was SO good.

I know there were more that I tried and liked, but I can't remember them right now.

FOODCheeseland - Cheesemakers (obviously) that made the most incredible coconut cheddar. It was a creamy cheddar infused with coconut milk. Oh my GOD it was good. At the end of the day, my mum went back to get a sample and ended up taking home a giant wheel of it for ten bucks!Ruth's Chris - They served surf & turf. I'm allergic to the surf, but I definitely indulged in the turf. Bacon wrapped filet mignon. Enough said.Salty's - Salty's is a fabulous restaurant on the water in West Seattle and yesterday they were serving some awesome halibut tacos.Smash - This is a great wine bar that I've been to a few times in Seattle's Wallingford neighborhood. They were serving Wagyu beef sliders with smoked cheddar, BBQ and Walla Walla sweet onion aioli. SO good!Cured- These guys are located in Leavenworth and I've had some of their smoked meats before. Absolutely incredible.

On one end of the building there was a coffee and desserts section. There was gourmet coffee, chocolates, and various other sweet treats.

On the other end were several breweries with beer and cider samples. Even though The Scientist and my brother are both wine lovers, they definitely imbibed in several brews.

Overall, it was a great event and a great day! Sarah, E and I are even plotting a trip down to Portland to experience their version of the event. It's a bit smaller and Sarah suggested we volunteer at the event, which would be tons of fun!

So glad you had a great time! I was bummed when I found out the date since we were going to head to Yakima. Then of course I got sick & stayed home, but was great to see all the tweets etc. about the event.

Out of the wineries you mentioned I don't think I've had any of theirs before. :-( But this is just an excuse to add them to the tasting list.